#5 Make sure you are careful about taxes

Obviously, you should be careful about the way you file your taxes and how you do the whole process so that you minimize the headaches that can come from a badly written form. However, if you are going to be relying solely on Social Security checks as your income in retirement, then taxes are going to be really important. Not only do some states count benefits as part of your retirement income, and they are going to be taxed, but if you have some other type of income, you can expect your benefits to be taxed for a portion as big as 85% of their sum!

t will be different from state to state and depending on your filing status when it comes to federal taxes, so keeping an eye on taxes and the rules regarding benefits may be what counts when it comes to how big or small your checks are!